>> P.36
High-TechTrainsaTetsudo(Railway)鉄道★FloatingTrains:TheFutureofJapaneseTransportationYamanashiPrefecturalMaglevExhibitionCenter(TsuruCity,YamnashiPrefecture)aLearnallaboutJapan’sfuturemaglevtrainsatDokiDokiLinear-kan,andndsouvenirsuniquetoYamanashiatWakuWakuYamanashi-kan.Japan’sfirstmagnetic-levitation(maglev)train,theLinearChuoShinkansen,willsoonbewhiskingpassengersat500kilometersanhourfromTokyotoNagoyainamere40minutes.TheYamanashiMaglevTestTrackontheoutskirtsofTokyoisplayingakeyroleinthedevelopmentofthisnewtypeoftransport,whichusessuperconductingelectromagnetstoliftamovingtrainofftheground,makingitoat.TheoriginaltestingsiteforthemaglevtrainwasinMiyazakiPrefecture,Kyushu,buttheflatlandtherewasdeemedunsuitablefortestingbecausethisnext-generationtrainwillberoutedthroughmountaintunnelsandoverinclines.Soin1988,thetesttrack36inmountainousYamanashiPrefecturewasopened.TheShinkansenandotherhigh-speedtrainshavechangedJapan’slandscapeandpro-moteditseconomicdevelopment.Thenewmaglevtrainisexpectedtodothesame.Theroute,whichincorporatestheYamanashitesttrack,willeventuallybeextendedtoOsaka,connectingJapan’shinterlandsandopeningupnewregionsforcommutingandsightseeing.AttheYamanashiPrefecturalMaglevExhibi-tionCenter,locatedbesidethetestfacility,visitorscanobservetrainsglidingpast,andlearnaboutsuperconductivelinearmecha-nismsandthenewLinearChuoShinkansen.